Chapter 55

The world around me was silent, a suffocating kind of quiet that pressed against my ears, thick as fog. The dream always began like this: in the depths of shadow, where the air seemed alive, pulsing with whispers that slithered along my skin. This time, though, it felt different. More sinister, more tangible, as if the shadows were no longer content to merely watch—they wanted to touch, to claim.

I stood in an endless expanse of darkness, the ground beneath my feet cold and unyielding like stone. I took a shaky breath, the sharp tang of iron filling my lungs, and my chest tightened. I knew this was not just a dream; this was an intrusion, a dark manifestation hunting for what it feared and craved in equal measure. Me.

A shiver ran down my spine as the shadows began to shift, thickening and curling like smoke given form. Eyes opened within the darkness, yellow and glowing, blinking as they found their focus on me. I swallowed hard, my body tensing, each muscle locking into place as a chorus of guttural growls rose from the inky blackness around me.

I spun on my heel, trying to find an escape, but everywhere I turned, the darkness stretched on, infinite. The shapes in the shadows moved with intent now, slithering closer, their growls harmonizing into a bone-deep, guttural chant. They were hunting, but not mindlessly. They were coordinated, drawn by the scent of the Liege of Shadows, the force I was becoming, and they were here to drag it back to Russling.

“Run,” a voice whispered, sharp and urgent. It was my own voice, echoing in the far corners of my mind. But my legs felt like lead, my feet glued to the cold, dark stone. The whispers of the creatures grew louder, slithering through the dark like a feverish wind, repeating that same word over and over in a language I didn’t know but understood in my bones: Liege.

Suddenly, one of the shadows lunged, a tendril of blackness snapping out like a whip, its form sleek and serpentine. I barely had time to throw my arms up before it struck, its touch cold as death, knocking me to the ground with a force that stole the breath from my lungs. The impact jarred through me, and I gasped, the air thick and icy, slicing into my throat like blades.

I pushed myself up, my fingers slipping on the slick, dark surface. The yellow eyes multiplied, blinking in and out of existence as the shapes drew closer, hulking figures with jagged edges and teeth that glistened like shards of obsidian.

“Get up!” The voice screamed in my head, furious and terrified. I scrambled to my feet, my heart hammering wildly as another tendril lashed out, grazing my arm and leaving a line of blistering cold in its wake. Pain flared white-hot, and I bit back a scream, my vision wavering as the ground shifted beneath me.

One of the creatures stepped forward, larger than the others, with limbs that bent at unnatural angles and a mouth that stretched too wide, filled with rows of blackened teeth. It let out a hiss, the sound slicing through the tension like a blade, and I stumbled back, my breath coming in short, sharp gasps. The Garnet against my chest pulsed erratically, responding to the threat, but it felt dulled, as if the darkness was smothering it.

“Stay away,” I whispered, more to myself than to them, but the creature’s grin only widened, its eyes narrowing as if it had understood. It took another step forward, then another, the shadows around it shifting, multiplying. The chant grew louder, a drumming that pounded in my head, relentless.

And then, with a shriek that made my blood run cold, the creature lunged.

I fell back, my body hitting the ground as it swiped at me, its talons slicing through the air where my throat had been a heartbeat ago. I rolled to the side, heart pounding, the cold scraping of its claws echoing in my ears. The Garnet flared suddenly, a burst of heat that shot through me, giving me just enough strength to throw up a barrier of shadows. It trembled under the weight of the monster’s assault, the edges fraying as it pushed, snarling and snapping at me.

They were relentless, their movements liquid and graceful, circling me as the barrier began to splinter. The larger creature reared back, its eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, the room fell silent, the chant dying away. It tilted its head, as if studying me, before it whispered, “Found you.”

A shiver ran down my spine, the voice cold and deep, vibrating with a dark joy. The Garnet’s heat flared again, a warning pulse that rattled my bones, and I braced myself as the barrier shattered, shards of darkness flying like glass. The creature lunged for me, its mouth splitting into a triumphant snarl—

“Mara!”

The sound of my name pierced the void, and suddenly, the darkness splintered, the room collapsing into chaos. I gasped, eyes snapping open to find myself back in my nest, the soft glow of string lights a stark contrast to the nightmarish scene I’d just been in. My heart was still racing, the taste of fear sharp in my mouth, and the Garnet burned against my chest, pulsing with a frantic beat.

“Mara, look at me.” Silas’s voice was steady but laced with worry, and his hands were on my shoulders, firm but gentle. His honey eyes searched mine, brow furrowed, and it was only then that I realized I was shaking, my body caught between the dream and the reality before me. “It’s okay. I have you. It was just a dream.”

“I…” My voice cracked, the words stuck in my throat. I clenched my fists, feeling the cold sweat on my skin, the phantom pain of the talons still echoing in my arm. “It wasn’t just a dream, Silas. It was them. They’re hunting me.”

His expression hardened, the concern deepening into something more protective, more resolute. “Then tell me everything, Mara. No more holding back.”

A tremor ran through me, the weight of the truth pressing down like a storm. I took a shaky breath, meeting his gaze as the words I’d kept hidden finally spilled out.

“I-I know. It’s time.”